Device for practicing basketball shooting accuracy



W. W. GRAY Dec. 8, 1964 DEVICE FOR PRACTICING BASKETBALL SHOOTING ACCURACY Filed March 14, 1962 L A L 1 J J L 1.Jii

3,160,414 DEVICE FOR PRACTICING BASKETBALL SHOOTING ACCURACY Wyndol W. Gray, 1000 Lane St., Akron, Ohio Filed Mar. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 17%,668 flairns. (Cl. 273-15) This invention relates to a device for practicing basketball shooting accuracy.

One object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described which is adapted to be quickly releasably attached to a conventional basketball hoop, and which serves as a visible guide for developing a style for accurately making arching shots into the hoop without necessarily touching the edge thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described including flexible guide means which will be yieldingly deflected by the basketball when it is arched too close to the loop, whereby the path of the ball will not otherwise be substantially altered.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a practice device embodying the features of the invention, mounted on a conventional basketball hoop.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-section taken substantially on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross-section, taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, illustrating a modification of the invention.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawings, the numeral designates an annular basketball practicing device, including a metal reinforcing ring 11 having affixed thereto a plurality of peripherally spaced hook-shaped clips 12, 12, of springy material, adapted to be yieldingly engaged downwardly over a basketball hoop 13, to support the ring tightly within the hoop, as best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. Vulcanized or otherwise adhesively bonded to the ring 11, there may be a molded band 14 of rubber or rubber like material, such as polyvinyl chloride, said band being molded or otherwise formed to have a plurality of peripherally outwardly arched spaced ears 15, 15 which angle upwardly and radially outwardly over the hoop 13. For the purposes of the invention, the terminal ends of the cars 15 may be approximately one inch above the top of the hoop and extending substantially in a circle of about the same diameter as the outer periphery of the hoop 13. The thickness and hardness of the elastic ears 15 may be such that they will tend to resume normal vulcanized or molded shape upon being deflected or distorted, as by engagement thereof by a ball B, as shown in chain-dotted lines in FIGURE 3.

For practicing various goal shots, with the ring clipped within the hoop 13 as shown in'FIGURES 1 to 3, the player attempts to arch the ball over and downwardly through the hoop 13 to have the ball barely touching the outermost edge portions 15a of one or more of the cars 15. If the bottom portion of the ball arches too low,

United States Patent 0 'thereon for releasably attaching the same within a conice FIGURE 4 illustrates a modified form of the invention wherein an annular supporting ring 17 corresponding to the ring 11 of FIGURES 1 to 3, has bonded thereto a cylindrical band 18 of resilient elastic material attached thereto to have a plurality of flexible ears 19 projected upwardly of the basketball hoop 13. An advantage of this form of the invention is that the band may be formed of flat rubber stock, requiring no molding or molds, in which case, the ears 19 may be formed by simple cutting or slitting operations.

In either form of the invention shown and described, practice devices may be provided with the resilient ears variously shaped and extended to different heights above the hoop 13, to suit the individual requirements of different players and/or the lengths of the shots to be prac- V ticed.

Other modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A basketball shooting accuracy practice device, comprising: a member having means thereon for releasably attaching the same to a conventional basketball hoop; said member having thereon upstanding flexible means for gauging the arch of the ball over and through the hoop, without necessarily touching the same; said member being annular and including a rigid ring of smaller diameter than the hoop to fit within the same; said flexible means including a band of elastic material afiixed to said ring and having integral peripherally spaced ears; and said ears being outwardly arched and terminating in peripheral edge portions adapted to overhang the hoop.

2. A basketball shooting accuracy practice device, comprising: an annulus-shaped member having means thereon for releasably attaching the same within a conventional basketball hoop to co-extend peripherally therewith; said member having thereon spaced upstanding, ears of flexible elastic material to arch to predetermined extent above the hoop and terminating in a peripheral edge, whereby the ears overhang the hoop for gauging the arch of the basketball when thrown over and through the hoop, said flexible ears being yieldingly flexible upon engagement thereof by the basketball to minimize possible deflection of the same from its arching course.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2, said member including a rigid ring and said flexible ears including a band of elastic material aflixe'd to said ring, said upstanding ears being integral extensions of said band. a

4. A basketball shooting accuracy practice device, comprising: a rigid annulus-shaped member having means ventional basketball hoop to co-extend peripherally therewith; said member having thereon flexible means to extend a predetermined extent above the hoop for gauging the arch of the basketball when thrown over an through the hoop; said flexible means being yieldingly flexible upon engagement thereof by the basketball to minimize possible deflection of the same from its arching course; said flexible means including a band of elastic material aifixed to said member and having integral peripherally spaced ears, said ears extending flexibly upwardly of the member and terminating in peripheral edge portions adapted to be coextensive with the hoop generally in a plane spaced above the same.

5. A basketball shooting accuracy practice device, comprising: a rigid annulus-shaped member having means thereon for releasably attaching the same within a con- V ventional basketball hoop to co-extend peripherally therewith; said member having thereon flexible means to extend a predetermined extent above the hoop for gauging the arch of the basketball when thrown over and through the hoop; said flexible means being yieldingly flexible upon engagement thereof by the basketball to minimize possible deflection of the same from its arching course; said flexible means including a band of elastic material afiixed to said member and terminating in locally flexible periphreal edge portions: adapted to be coextensive with the hoop and presented generally in a plane spaced above the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

1. A BASKETBALL SHOOTING ACCURACY PRACTICE DEVICE, COMPRISING: A MEMBER HAVING MEANS THEREON FOR RELEASABLY ATTACHING THE SAME TO A CONVENTIONAL BASKETBALL HOOP; SAID MEMBER HAVING THEREON UPSTANDING FLEXIBLE MEANS FOR GAUGING THE ARCH OF THE BALL OVER AND THROUGH THE HOOP, WITHOUT NECESSARILY TOUCHING THE SAME; SAID MEMBER BEING ANNULAR AND INCLUDING A RIGID RING OF SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE HOOP TO FIT WITHIN THE SAME; SAID FLEXIBLE MEANS INCLUDING A BAND OF ELASTIC MATERIAL AFFIXED TO SAID RING AND HAVING INTEGRAL PERIPHERALLY SPACED EARS; AND SAID EARS BEING OUTWARDLY ARCHED AND TERMINATING IN PERPHERAL EDGE PORTIONS ADAPTED TO OVERHANG THE HOOP. 